Islamic Center of Lawrence

The Islamic Center of Lawrence (ICL) is a non-profit religious organization. The purpose of ICL is to serve all the needs of the Muslim community in Lawrence, Kansas, in accordance with Islamic teachings as contained in the Holy Qur’an and the Sunnah of the Prophet Muhammad (PBUH). The Islamic Center of Lawrence was established in 1979. Muslim students met for prayers in a room at the University of Kansas as far back as 1962. Later they moved to an empty room in an apartment close to campus. In the late 1970s a house located at 1300 Ohio was purchased. The sturdy, friendly old house served the community well for twenty years, but became hard-pressed to hold everyone. In the mid 1990s, the First Southern Baptist Church had just completed a new building and their old church, at 19th and Naismith, was put up for sale. The red brick building consisting of a sanctuary, an upstairs worship area, offices, classrooms, a kitchen and a fellowship hall. The community purchased the building in 1998 and it became the Islamic Center of Lawrence. Located at 1917 Naismith Drive, the center is on the south edge of KU's main campus.